Woodlands
by Firecadet
Summary: When Ginny is grabbed from woods near her home, she finds herself in the middle of a Special Forces rescue operation by the members of Alpha Force.
1. Two worlds collide

Recently, Ginny Weasley had started walking around the woods near the Burrow; there was no real reason for this sudden obsession with walking, but it helped to clear the head and living in a house with so many siblings had always been a little hectic and with no escape. Ginny was out on one of these escapes, as a precaution dressed in Muggle clothing: a pair of light coloured denim daisy dukes and a tight fitting pastel blue vest top. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far.

It happened suddenly.

WHIZZ! THUD!

A silver dart, fletched with red feathers, whistled past her, nearly hitting her. Startled, she hesitated a brief moment before she dropped into cover, but as she dropped towards a depression between two tree roots she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and felt her body turn to limp rags, her control over her movements draining. She slumped to the floor. As she fell, her head flopped to one side and she saw a second dart embedded near the carotid artery. She landed, unconscious, on the wet, loamy ground, her head striking a tree root as she landed, completely out from the dart.

When she woke up, she was lying on a stone flagstone floor, her hands fastened behind her back by a pair of chrome plated hinged handcuffs, locked on tight enough to prevent her rotating her wrists. Her mouth was covered by a wad of duct tape, with one strip long ways across her mouth and three strips vertically to prevent her easily removing the gag from her mouth without her arms free. Her left ankle was attached to a ball and chain, preventing her moving fast or with her hands free. Tight and cold around her neck was a blackened steel neck collar, which prevented her leaving a space described by her neck collar's five foot blackened steel chain. .

Several hours later she heard and felt a massive thud, followed almost instantly by the slightly wheezy barking report of a Muggle metal wand she had seen them using to shoot at birds with. There were several similar reports, then a new clattering noise that sounded like someone violently shaking a can full of gravel. There was a yell of agony which was quickly cut off, then a deeper booming report. The two sounds played a duet for several moments then ended with a scream. She heard more volleys and screams moving steadily closer to her.

There was an ear splitting duet as the sounds reached the stairs outside her cell. It stopped almost instantly without a scream with the clatter of a pan being dropped on a stone floor. The door was opened. A black helmet appeared briefly, before disappearing again. As it vanished, she heard voices starting up, muffled and obscured by the thick oak door, followed by several people running back up the corridor.

Several minutes later, a different head came round the door and Ginny got her first look at one of her rescuers. It was a woman, wearing dark, coarse looking, well-tailored clothing. The chest area was bulky, and her gloved hands held a weapon; it was not aimed at her, but she could tell it could be aimed instantly at her head. The woman knelt down, gently prised the gag from her face and introduced herself in an almost friendly voice, hinted with a Chinese accent, alien to Ginny's ears.

"Hi there, my name is Li."

"Ginny Weasley."

Li was slightly built, with features befitting her Chinese tones and Special Forces clothing covering her skin. Ginny relaxed as her hands were freed and she was given a drink of cool, fresh-tasting water from a canteen.

"What happened to you?" Li asked Ginny.

"I was walking though a wood near my home when I was knocked out by something and I woke up here. Where is here?"

"In a Norman keep style folly about ten miles from where you were picked up." Li's calm speech didn't seem to fit the situation.

"How do you know that?" Ginny asked.

"I was watching. Now, do you want out?" came the reply.

"Definitely."

Li carefully helped to her feet, supporting Ginny as she felt dizzy; the effects of the tranquilliser were still wearing off. Li knew all too well what getting to your feet after several hours in a prone position felt like after a "prank'' during Alpha Force's training for a rescue- the hostage scenario where the other four members had decided it would be very amusing to visit the pub before rescuing her. As a result, she had been manacled to a radiator for 18 hours after she was supposed to have been rescued.

Her mood had not been the best when she was finally rescued as she had concussed several other members of the team with a frying pan. She guessed that Ginny would want a similar or worse revenge.

Ginny, meanwhile, was content to return to The Burrow and put her parents' minds at rest; it would also console her boyfriend, Harry, who was staying with them at The Burrow in preparation for their wedding.


	2. The Assault

Tower Assault

Li was revved up.

In five minutes, she, along with the other four members of Alpha Force, would assault a building where a ring of international slavers had their main warehouse.

Like all of the other members of the team, she was wearing close-fitting black clothes made out of a coarse cloth, with a Gortex lining over a SAS style bullet proof vest, and carrying a MP5 sub-machine gun, a Glock 18 sidearm and a set of three L2 fragmentation grenades, accompanying five stun grenades and two smoke grenades in her considerable arsenal. The slavers were an unknown quantity, but were believed to have dart weapons, shotguns and possibly automatic weaponry. The darts, she had observed on a tracking mission where a young girl in a woodland had been abducted, were likely tipped with chloral hydrate and would cause near instant incapacitation if they hit and penetrated.

Li glanced over at her South American boyfriend, Paulo, and gave him a coy little smile. The smile, as well as being an outright flirt, sent an unspoken message: it was time to go. The team slowly stalked towards the tower, avoiding several humiliatingly simple Special Forces traps, such as snares, nets and the occasional buried bullet trap. Hex, who was on point, was carrying a long handled metal detector and was marking the traps with cones.

A half hour later, the members of Alpha Force were in their attack positions around the tower's single front entrance. Alex, the team's qualified explosives technician, was aiming a large tube at the double doors. He pulled the release and a HEDP rocket was slammed into the door, blowing it from its hinges.

A slaver on the top parapets began firing down towards them with a shotgun. Li saw the source of the shots and returned fire as several other defenders opened fire on them with shotguns. She watched as a stream of bullets from Alex's gun tore through a window shutter, a bullet proof vest and the chest of a slaver, who was hurled across the room by the hits as the shutters were smashed in through the window frame. From another window, a thug wearing a black robe opened up with a Kalashnikov. The volley narrowly missed Amber, who was already returning the fire. The seam tore into the ground feet from her prone body, starting next to her head and moving down her body, before a final round nearly creased her ankle. Her return volley felled her attacker and destroyed a gargoyle. Even while all this was happening, the first clip was being ejected by Li before she reloaded her gun.

Even as the gun battle was in progress, Hex and Paulo were storming through the main door, their laser sights seeking targets for storms of lead shot such as a man armed with a rifle who stepped from a guard room. Within seconds, he was cut down by a hail from both guns without a challenge. The two of them moved deeper into the fort, felling several more slavers in the speed of their assault.

Meanwhile, the gun battle at the entrance was over, Alex and Amber moved towards the upper floors, while Li headed off in pursuit of Hex and Paulo. Volleys continued to sound periodically as the upper floors were cleared.

Paulo came sprinting up from the lower sections of the castle so fast that Li almost shot him.

"Paulo, what's wrong?"

"There's a girl chained up in a bikini down in the dungeon"

"Ah, you thought your great charms might fail to reduce her to a slavering mess longing for you," Li replied sarcastically .

"Yeah, something like that," Paulo replied, deadpan. "Anyway, I thought that even such a great symbol of the male sex as me might be received badly, given her state of dress."

Smiling, Li said jokingly, "Are you feeling OK, Paulo? That is definitely not like you, not going into a room with a half naked girl? Write to the national papers, he is no longer a testosterone-charged idiot but has matured from that stage."

"Still, I might not be available tonight."

"Or you might, if?" She smiled sweetly at him.

"If nothing comes between us."

"Not sure I can permit that," Alex said from behind them, "on pain of being the target in all future sessions of target practice."

"No way, amigo," Paulo replied, looking a tiny bit down.

"Alex, Paulo, while you are arguing about this a young girl is lying there cold, scared and alone in a dungeon, waiting to be rescued, even if it is not by Captain Masculine there," Hex broke in.

"Li, you're on rescue duties, so get in there," Alex finally muttered.

When she arrived at the dungeon, Li was cautious. She had previously heard of similar techniques being used to trap hostages with whom to bargain an escape, so she entered the room without her gun aimed, but in a way so she could bring it to bear in seconds.

The girl was just lying there with her mouth gagged, her hands fastened behind her back, a collar around her neck and a ball and chain attached to her left ankle. There was a key-ring on the wall to the left of the door. It had a number of different keys on it so Li retrieved it.

The first thing she did was removed the gag from the girl's face, then introduce herself quietly, making an effort not to scare the young woman.

"Hi, my name's Li."

The girl replied, "Ginny Weasley."

Li removed Ginny's handcuffs and passed her canteen over.

"What happened to you?"

"I was walking though a wood near my home when I was knocked out by something and I woke up here. Where am I?"

Li was able to give her an answer instantly. "In a Norman keep style folly. about ten miles from where you were picked up."

"How do you know that?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I was watching," Li replied. "Now, do you want out?"

"Definitely."

Li helped Ginny to her feet and supported her as they took her home.

As she returned to the team jeep, Paulo was waiting. "So, what about some fun?" he asked with a wink.

"Have to catch me first..."

"You're on."


	3. Day of the Wedding

Collision

Two weeks later a rather unusual message arrived at the teams remote headquarters. That was a surprise in itself, as the only way they received messages was normally a receiving station built into the base and that did not transmit any signal in reply. It was a covert ops rule and one they had never broken. However that morning, Li had woken up to find an owl, of all creatures, waiting outside with a letter, strapped to its leg. She went out and approached the owl in her usual fashion for approaching a wild creature without spooking it. It looked up thoroughly unruffled by her behaviour and held out its leg. Li took the envelope then watched as the owl disappeared off into the dawn, flying north-north-east.

"Paulo, you lazy hard drinking oaf, get your ass out of bed!" she yelled up the stairs of the two story cliff built base. Paulo came tumbling down the stairs in nothing but his underwear, carrying his weapon. "where?" he grunted, before falling over his own two feet. "Paulo, there was no magazine in that gun and the safety was on, not to mention that the catch looked like it was made of your atrocious version of curry" Li told him as she helped him to his feet. "And I am going to stop Amber buying that stupid potato vodka if this happens one more time. Comprende, amigo?" "I need to stop drinking it," he groaned as his head felt like it was being beaten with a sledgehammer. "Yes, good idea, though not quite as good as making you walk five miles to buy it in the first place," she muttered. "Anyway, rouse out your number one togs, we, and I quote "the members of "Alpha Force" are cordially invited to the wedding of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasely, who owe them more than she can ever repay. Formal dress code, light arms only. This means, Paulo, that that girl we rescued from the slavers' tower is inviting us to her wedding, and before you say anything, I know it is not normal procedure to accept an invite of this type, but, under the circumstances, I believe we should," she said. "And if Alex so much as mutters one word of protest I will personally put him in traction for a month," she stated under her breath.

It took several hours to rouse the team and drag them, sometimes literally, through a parade clean up routine. It consisted of a bath followed by a shower with a fire hose for anyone still in bed. The three boys were dispatched to the bathroom with shavers and a growled threat to be shaven with a katana if they were not presentable when they came out. They were quickly transformed from unshaven Spec-Ops personnel into Everyman candidates with a formidable appearance. The girls meanwhile were sprucing up with a small amount of jewellery and a single case of make-up. Finally parade best uniforms were issued from the air-tight, mud proofed and finally moth free container. It was the only part of the team base not to contain a small amount of mud and dust. Once everyone was properly dressed the arms locker was opened. Each member received their parade best gold chased Glock 18; their ceremonial swords: a gold inland katana for Li, a gold inland, ivory handled scimitar for Amber, representing her African origins. Hex and Alex were issued classic infantry officers blades while Paulo was given a gem studded cavalry sabre, similar to that carried by a infantry officer in the conquistadors. Once these were buckled on to the elegant sword belts each team member had made using their plain issue leather belts and a leather decorating kit equipped thus the team loaded into their van and set off for the rendezvous, a small copse near the M25.

The van looked very similar to an AA van and to complete the disguise Paulo, the team driver, was wearing the overalls of an AA repairman.

A previous van, disguised as a PSU transport with Paulo at the wheel had been burnt out in a field near Glasgow and resulted in the entire team spending a week behind bars before being released without charge. They had no plans for a repeat or for another spell in the nick while waiting to be released. It had been very boring (Li had taken up painting) and there had been various unpleasant charges levelled against them. Li had been charged resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and possession of an offensive weapon; Hex had been charged with hacking, possessing an offensive weapon and criminal damage; Amber had been charged with attempted murder, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and possessing an unlicensed firearm. Alex had got off lightly with possessing an offensive weapon while Paulo had the book thrown at him for dangerous driving, failing to stop, illegal possession and use of blues and twos, impersonating a police officer, possessing five offensive weapons, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and arson, as he was the only one they could pin it on. Fortunately the release papers arrived before the disorganised CPS had managed to process the charges and prosecute them. Otherwise the combined prison time would have been somewhere around 200 years. Instead they were free and on their way to a wedding.

They arrived at the rendezvous point on foot. They had not approached along the path but instead from four different sides with one coming from directly behind. The problem was that Li, who had come from behind managed to find the time to catch a rare bird before continuing. When they arrived they successfully ambushed the people waiting for them. After a couple of jets of light had hit trees the problem was accepted as necessary precaution. There was no explanation for the lights or their effect on the trees. Then they proceeded to the wedding.


	4. Abduction from a special day

Interrupted Ceremony

It was frankly amazing. The whole area was decked out in unbelievable colours and decorations, creating a carnival atmosphere. The music was odd, seemingly produced by a single instrument, despite the fact it was a full orchestral piece. The guests were wearing odd looking robe type clothing in a variety of colours and styles, ranging from lace trimmed dress style robes to one piece robes made from a glistening silk like fabric. The catering was surprisingly good and provided by an unknown firm. Then whip-like cracking noises filled the air and flashes of green light began lighting up the wedding.

There was a scream of "death eaters". Even as the cries went up, people were collapsing as they were struck by the lights. One of them fell near Li, who was shocked that the woman, visibly unharmed was dead. Then a new sound joined the uproar: the clatter of Glock 18 pistols firing bursts. Even as Li drew her own pistol and added to the fusillade several death eaters went down, writhing in pain from the slugs embedded within their chest cavities.

After a further volley had struck home the attackers, who Li guessed were known as "death eaters" were seeking cover from the flights of hornets that came from each pistol. Even behind a table which would have stopped any curse, a death eater was felled. His death caused a panicked rout and before long the last of the death eaters had vanished. Then alpha force emerged from cover, reloaded and holstered their pistols and began searching the wreckage of the wedding for bodies.

It was grim work. They had been involved in rescue and search and recovery operations before, but this one, with the high number of casualties under 16 was a struggle for them. It was worse for Paulo because he was seeing in every face his younger siblings. Few of the adult attendees had been killed, though there were several injuries from blasts and shrapnel. Curiously the police had not attended, nor the fire brigade or the ambulance service, despite the blasts, flames and injuries. Then a roar of sirens rose up.

Alpha force scattered for the tree line, leaving a card with the number for their home office handler to be contacted with on one of the tables.

Instants after they ducked into the trees, the first officers were moving into the area. They were completing the operation that Alpha force had begun. Then as officers continued to search the grounds they watched, the officer in charge of the incident was handed the card by an officer who had been among first the first wave that reached the scene. As they watched the commanders face changed from crimson to a merely mottled shade of red. Then several dogs were unleashed on their trail. The team (Li told Alex, who decided) decided it was best to give themselves up and submit themselves to a formal interview. They were received by fifteen officers who locked them in handcuffs, read them their rights and loaded them into police vans. They were particularly annoyed that their various ceremonial weapons had been confiscated.

Once at the police station the team were given over to custody staff for questioning. Many of the questions they were unable to give any information either because they did not have any answers to, or were unable to give information they did know due to that information being classified or through other constraints such as vows of silence. Then after several hours of interview their team handler arrived with the release paperwork. Once they were released they found their way to a pub, where they began plotting to locate Ginny, who had vanished in the confusion. Strangely, Paulo had seen her attempting to break the grip of a figure and then vanish. When he relayed this to another member of the team, things predictably broke down.

"Why the effing hell didn't you say this at the time, Paulo?" Alex asked

"No idea what had happened." was all he could mumble in reply.

"Guys," Amber broke in "we can argue once the rescue operation has taken place"

"Rescue operation?"

"The one we are about to launch"

"Oh yeah; that rescue operation" muttered Alex, who was slightly nonplussed at the way Amber had taken command of the situation

"Amber, what is the plan?" Li asked, knowing full well how Alex liked to retain command and be the ideas man.

"The plan is as follows: we go back to base and retrieve the tracking device scanner for the hair sized device that you doubtless planted somewhere on Ginny"

"And then?"

"We act on the information."

**Meanwhile, somewhere in Scotland**

Ginny had never realised just how cold a stone floor could be. She had no idea where she was, except for a glimpse of a flat area of ground, buried six inches under a carpet of snow. She was shackled to the wall of a dungeon, and, despite the supposed romantic connotations, would rather be back in the burrow, consummating her marriage to harry, who she guessed from the muffled swearing, was chained up in the cell opposite.


End file.
